Rooms with a view

Cape View Clifton in Cape Town, South Africa

Because to wake up here is to feel happy. How can that force of
light and expanse of mountain and sea fail to put a smile on your
face? Directly below are Cape Town's famous Clifton beaches,
distinguished by prosaic numbers and sociological demarcations:
surfer dudes hang out on First Beach, Second is family-friendly,
Third is gay and Fourth is for the universally physically blessed.
Beyond is the more egalitarian Camps Bay, backed by the Twelve
Apostles mountain range. The new-ish Cape View Clifton has five
suites and two apartments, and its owner, interior designer Jess
Latimer, has got the interiors just right: natural fabrics,
contemporary lines, the occasional good antique or posy of fresh
flowers. 'I'm a little OCD about the way things look,' says
Latimer, who lives next door and runs the place with Mitch Terry,
formerly of Ellerman House. In the kitchens, Celeste and Charmaine
rustle up superb breakfasts - toasted brioche with bacon, berry
compote and a dollop of mascarpone - and still-warm cakes for tea.
It's easy to see why guests (one of whom has stayed five times
since it opened in November 2012) treat this place like home.

INSIDE TIP Little Beach is a tiny secluded spot just past the
crowded cafés and restaurants of Camp's Bay, a five-minute drive
from the Cape View. With so few visitors, the enviably bronzed
lifeguard has little to do but read books all day. Head here to do
the same.